Me and the UFO Guy

Opportunities to evangelize can occur for the Christian all the time. However, those opportunity are sometimes not only unexpected, but also unusual. Allow me to recount for you all an encounter I had a number of years ago.

One Saturday Afternoon…

One Saturday in the late afternoon, I was finishing cleaning up our mini-van. I had removed all of the interior seats, vacuumed the floor as best as I could, and I was in the process of wrestling the seats back into the van.

While I was cleaning the van, I was reviewing one of my Bible studies I had given on the subject of evolution. I was fiddling with one of my kid’s car seat when movement caught the corner of my eye. Glancing around, I see a scruffy guy riding up on his bicycle next to my van. A wave of apprehension washed over me. He just rode right up next to my van and was just sitting there silently on his bicycle. I began to think about those crime documentaries on A&E and how many of those unsolved murders probably began with someone strolling up to a guy vacuuming a van.

I nodded to the guy a friendly “hey,” and he motioned to me that he was listening to the CD. He broke his silence by asking me who it was. “It’s me,” I replied. He looked surprised and said, “really?” I explained to him how I worked at a radio ministry connected to my church and how I oversee about a hundred plus volunteers a week who serve our ministry. I went on explaining how I teach Bible studies for about 30 minutes or so, and the talk was part of a series of lectures I gave on the subject of evolution and creationism.

The Flying Saucers of Valencia

As I was telling him about my evolution talk, he swings his leg over his bike and reaches into his pocket. Of course, I begin eye-balling him, watching closely what it was he was pulling out of there. He retrieves a cell phone and says, “Tell me what you think of this.” He proceeds to show me a video image of a bright light glowing in the sky over some trees.

I asked, “What is it?” Looking around, he lowers his voice and says, “Every night this past week around 2 AM or thereafter, this light hovers over the wash (big, dried-up river bed that runs through town). It’s not a plane, turns at sharp angles, and even turns color. My friend has a 45 minute video of the thing. There’s no doubt it’s a saucer.”

There was a ominous tone in his voice when he said “saucer.” Like we are talking about the Coast to Coast AM kind of saucers.

I replied, “You mean this saucer flies over the wash right here behind our place?”
“Listen man,” he responds, “I’m not crazy, I don’t drink, and I don’t do drugs. I’m telling you, it has been there every night this past week and I bet it will be there again tonight.”

Pointing again, I ask, “This wash right over there?”

“Yes,” he affirms.

I began wondering why beings who have the technological know-how to transverse interstellar space with great speeds or travel through wormholes to our planet, would spend their time hovering over the wash in Santa Clarita at two in the morning. Are they looking for hobos to probe?

Moreover, if they intend to be all stealthy, why would they fly saucer ships that are lit up so bright that they can be seen for miles? And why do they fly their saucers at 2:30 AM? I never get to see these things when they make their appearance. Why can’t they fly at three in the afternoon?

Anyhow, I say to the guy, “Welp, I don’t believe you are crazy. In fact, I believe you are certainly seeing something fly over the wash, but why do you assume it is a flying saucer from another planet or inter-dimensional beings?”

He paused for a moment. I think because I told him I didn’t believe he was crazy. He then says rather breathlessly, “Because it flies like no airplane I have seen before!”

I say to him, “I happen to know a few people who worked at Skunk Works, Lockheed’s division that develops top-secret aircraft. They tell me there’s a lot of stuff the public doesn’t know about that could easily be mistaken as an other world spaceship that is really just an experimental prototype airplane.”

Apologetics and UFOs

Without even acknowledging my comment, the fellow says,

“Do you really believe we are the only life in the universe? The universe is huge, we can’t be the only life.”

That tends to be the big argument in favor of extra-terrestrial life. The universe is so vast, with millions upon millions of galaxies, let alone stars, that there has to be others planets out there like ours sustaining super-intelligent life, or at least really fun aliens like Dr. Who.

That raises the question as to why super-intelligent beings want to come to our planet and probe New Agers and lumberjacks in the middle of the night. I mean, if they are here to harvest human DNA to create human/alien hybrids, why not use the better DNA? Surely Richard Dawkins would be preferable to, let’s say, a trailer park manager in Sedona, Arizona.

Then I replied with a transitional comment to steer the conversation toward the Gospel. I believe he was stunned to hear it coming from anyone, let alone a Christian:

“Yes, I do believe there are extra-terrestrials and inter-dimensional beings, but as a Bible-believing Christian, I believe God has revealed to us what they are in His Word. They’re fallen angels or demons. They have the ability to move in and out of our space, can travel at high speeds, and they can and do possess the bodies of human beings.”

He had a blank stare on his face. Like looking into the eye of a chicken. He asks, “Why would the devil impersonate UFOs? What purpose is there to that?”

“Quite simple,” I replied, “They wish to deceive sinful men as to the truth of their creator and the salvation he offers through His Son, Jesus Christ.”

I think he was at a loss as to what to say. He confidently claimed he was a Christian. He proceeds to tell me how he was raised in church and still attends every once in a while.

I tried to keep the conversation on the Lord, but he says again, “I am telling you, my friend has a video of this thing.” I say, “Okay. So why don’t you guys put it up on Youtube for all the world to see? I certainly would like to see it.”

He became adamant, “Oh man, I can’t do that, the government will find out about it and come and get me.”

I thought a second, “Why would the government come and get you? Why would they even care? Are you telling me the government, that is ran for the most part by flabby, cubicle dwelling bureaucrats, can trace Youtube videos back to the source so that they can arrest you for posting a video of a light hovering over the wash?”

He wasn’t sure what to make of that one, either.

By this time, it was getting dark and I had to help good wife Butler put the children into bed. The fellow jumped back on his bike and says, “Well, I am not sure what it is, maybe it’s not a UFO from another planet, maybe it is a demon, but there is something certainly there.” I replied, “Maybe, but think about what I said. The devil wants men deceived as to the truth of who Jesus Christ is.” Then he asks, “Do you think you will go out to see it?” I paused a moment and said, “Probably not, but maybe I will look out the window.”

When I turned over that night and saw the clock say 2:30 AM, for a moment, I thought about putting on a pair of short pants and going outside. Then good sense and sleep overwhelmed me. I didn’t even look out the window.

Some Resources

This is certainly an odd and humorous story to retell. But believe me, in our day and age of sci-fi culture, coupled with Darwinian evolution, Christians need to be ready to engage individuals like this who seriously believe life exists on other planets and is regularly visiting Earth. I hope my encounter helped with some starting points to engage such a person in conversation.

There are some resources folk may find beneficial on this topic.

First, this Youtube video that debunks the ridiculous aliens built all the ancient monuments like the pyramids. The video is three hours long, but well worth investing your time watching. Really good stuff. Ancient Aliens Debunked.